I realized just the other day I caught myself saying, “Rottweilers are the best. They’re really good dogs.” It’s absolutely true as far as statements go, but I’m starting to recognize I need to be careful about blanket statements.
At CVAS our main goal is to match the right person or people up with the right dog and have an adoption that lasts for the remainder of the animal’s life.
It seems to be a very simple goal, but there’s a human condition called expectations – and expectations will get you every time.
Have you ever gone into a situation expecting it to turn out one way only to have the whole thing go careening off the rails almost from the very beginning?
Yeah, expectations, man. They’ve gotten me a number of times, too.
We’ve had families come through the shelter with small children looking for a four-legged addition to their home. We have a few dogs who would be great with kids, but our bigger more rambunctious dogs give us pause.
We have a number of big does in the shelter who have come into us under a variety of circumstances and they are strong. Some of them are near 100 pounds. They’re all super sweet, but I’ve seen them pull full grown adults on a leash, let alone small children.
Our worries stem from general physics. When I say some of our dogs are big, I mean a toddlers’ head is about the same height as some of our dog’s heads. If some of our dogs got excited, they could knock a toddler off his feet in the literal blink of an eye.
We get people who tell us that their children are great with big dogs and that’s awesome. I’ve seen photos all over the internet of small babies with giant breeds and it’s a real testament to how animals can be a wonderful part of our lives and really become family.
The thing is, with shelter dogs, we often have absolutely no history on the animal. When an animal is dropped off in our outside runs without any paperwork or past, we have literally nothing to go on. We can’t always predict what he or she will do in any given situation.
So that while there are children who are “great with big dogs,” it doesn’t mean that it will work out with THIS specific dog.
It comes back around the expectations.
Every person on this planet is unique. I recall to mind the snowflake analogy. It’s kind of what makes life fascinating, really. Everyone has different thoughts, experiences, beliefs, attitudes and looks. Imagine how boring it would be if we were all carbon copies of one another?
A robotic, Stepford house is not only creepy, but also terribly dull.
Just like every person, every animal is also unique.
Every animal in this shelter and I would go as far to say in the world, is different from every other animal. I have seen the sweetest Rottweilers you could ever want to know. I’ve also seen some of the meanest.
I’ve met little Chihuahuas who snuggle and kiss and just want to be in the lap of a human. I’ve seen other Chihuahuas who look like they would be willing to use every ounce of their little bodies to do as much damage as they could.
Expectations and blanket statements are where we can get into trouble when dealing with animals.
I think it’s a good idea to take people and animals as they come. You can’t expect every lab to act like your family pet from years ago. You can’t expect every orange cat to be exactly like your best friend, Garfield, growing up.
We try to get to know the animals in our care as best as we can at CVAS, but it’s difficult to guess how they will respond to every situation and every scenario.
Safety, for people and animals, is our number one concern.
So, during the meet and greet process of adopting, take time to listen to the people who care for the animals on a daily basis. Pay attention to the behaviors they’ve witnessed and keep in mind that we often don’t truly know much at all about the animals in our care.
We want to make the right matches so we can have happy endings.
Patience, understanding and letting go of expectations will go a long way to making sure that happens.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the Public Relations Coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
